DVD's

Yes, I use workout dvd's.  There I admitted it.  I'm human just like everyone else.  Truth is...since I work at the gym, I don't like to spend all my non working days there too and with Wisconsin winters, indoor exercise is critical!  So, it's usually only 1 day a week and it's usually fridays but I actually enjoy some of my dvds and look forward to doing them.  It's my chance to have a trainer.  So, of course, who do I turn to?  Bob and Jillian.  I am really liking Bob these days, he's not so annoying and his workouts have been challenging.  Here are a couple that I have gotten recently and have enjoyed.  They really do give you just as good (if not better sometimes) of a workout than you could get by hopping on the elliptical or treadmill at the gym.  It is important to vary up your workouts too.  By no means would I ever suggest doing these every single day.  But they are good a couple times a week for sure!

 Just bought this one and love it.  It's about 45-50 min. of actual cardio...after the warm up and before the abs and cool down.  That is hard to find and it's a nice interval cardio workout.  There is a little bit of weights involved but mostly to just increase your heartrate.  Highly recommend trying it.  It's a doozie.

One of my friends turned me onto this one.  It's a great weight/resistance workout.  You can make it a complete full body interval workout if you are crazy like me.  There are 6 circuits in this and in between each circuit, I hit the pause button and did 2-3 min. of old school cardio drills.  I'm talking jumping jacks, jumprope, squat jumps, mountain climbers, burpees...whatever I could think of in my basement.  It was killer but boy on boy did it burn the calories and I know because I had my bodybugg on the first time I did it!!

 lastly, Jillian's yoga.  I have been trying yoga now for a few weeks and I really enjoy it.  Now, this is yoga with a little power to it, so some cardio.  I still feel like it's relaxing but also a workout.  I would recommend it, but not if you don't want to sweat a bit while yogaing (is that a word?)

Here is my latest purchase but he's still all wrapped up.  After Jillian's Yoga meltdown and Bob's Cardio love I thought hmmm...I must try Bob's new Yoga one.  It's an hour of power Yoga and also 15 min. of yoga abs.  I will let you know my review after I do it (which will be in the next couple days I hope!)

Variety is the spice of life after all and if you find yourself stuck at home or just not feeling up to the gym, pop in one of these and sweat away in your own home.  Hey, you can wear those old, outdated workout clothes because no one will see you!  and if you are like me, you do it before anyone else wakes up so that it's even dark out so truly you won't be noticed!!  and if you are a client of mine...you may be doing some of these moves in the near future.  Bob and Jillian give me lots of ideas :)  Lucky you!!

If there is a dvd that you truly LOVE, please let me know in the comments.  I am always looking to try new ones out or at least steal their ideas!



Roasted Chickpeas

Here's a nice healthy snack for you (if you can get over the texture)  I can and like them, Soccer Dad has some major texture issues.

I adapted this recipe from a blog (that I now can't remember...sorry!) but she had adapted it from an old Martha Stewart magazine.  At any rate, here is my version.

Roasted Chickpeas

2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed, drained, and pat dry

1 1/2 TB olive oil

dash of salt/pepper

1 tsp of your favorite seasoning (i used garlic and herb)

-place all ingredients in a ziploc bag and shake shake shake

-dump onto a baking sheet and bake at 300 for 45-50 min.

(watch them, I baked for 50 min per recipe and may have overbaked a bit)

-let cool and store in an airtight container in fridge for about a week

or eat them as a nice healthy snack right now!

I happen to be enjoying them on my salads for a nice, flavorful protein and fiber punch!

Pumpkin Yogurt

Sound good or not so much?  Well, since I had made those bars the other day, I had a little leftover pumpkin.  I was getting my breakfast together last night and thought, same old same old...yogurt with kashi.  Oh, wait, pumpkin.  Hmmmm.....soccer dad thought I was disgusting and he LOVES his pumpkin.  I did it anyway to pack my very plain natural nonfat Dannon yogurt full of extra flavor and nutrition and you know what?  not bad!  I might even purposely open a can of pumpkin for this.  (I'd better quick grab some as it is no where to be found pretty soon!)  I'm sure this would be even better with vanilla yogurt but I'm trying really hard to cut sugar and artificial sweetners out of my yogurt (which is a whole other blog...).  It's been a super big adjustment but I feel it's worth it.  So, little things like this definitely help (at least until berries start being in season again!)

Pumpkin Yogurt

-3/4-1 cup plain nonfat yogurt (i prefer Dannon myself)

-2T pumpkin puree

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

-1 tsp agave

-Mix together in a bowl and eat topped with your favorite granola or Kashi Go Lean Crunch for a healthy filling breakfast!

Please let me know if you try this, I am anxious to find out what others think.  Note:  I could've eaten this without the agave, but I added it to try and make it more appealing for others and it definitely helped, took that bitterness out.

Slow Cooking

If only I could just create recipes without recipes!  I mean, I want people to read recipes that say my name on them darn it!  Well, my sister got me hooked on this blog, a Year of Slow Cooking.  This lady, Stephanie, decided to use her crockpot every day in the year 2008.  Well, long story short, she then got famous, made a cookbook and now a second cookbook and continues to blog about slow cooker recipes.  Well, I read on her blog 2 days ago that she would be on a fave show of mine, Good Morning America today.  Of course I forgot about it until I happened to turn on GMA today and there she was!  The amazing Stephanie.  So, I watched her and her 3 slow cooker chili recipes.  Who the heck doesn't LOVE chili in winter.  And these are not traditional chilis and yes, I will be trying every. single. one.  starting tomorrow, I think.  Anyway, you can watch the clip from GMA here and I really encourage you to check out Stephanie's blog and some of her recipes or heck, go buy her book.  I think I am going to.  I love my slow cooker(s) and if I can find some new, easy, frugal, healthy recipes then I am in!

Just fyi...I do not know this lady at all.  I just admire her and think she has wonderful recipes and kind of wish I would've thought of her idea :)

Mango Agave Granola

It's no secret, I LOVE the food network.  I don't have as much time to watch it anymore but I do love to read my Food Network magazine or at least glance through the recipes when I have time.  THEN, I love to become a Food Network chef and create away.  Anyway, this time it's Bobby Flay who surprised me with this amazing granola.  I tried it and me likey.  Then, I gave it to my trusty taste tester and she loved it.  Batch number 2 coming up soon :)

Mango-Agave Granola (with a few minor changes of course)

-1/4 cup canola oil (i used half applesauce, half canola oil...may eliminate oil all together next time, but it doesn't clump without the oil, so if you like clumps in your granola, follow bobby!)

-1/4 cup agave

-1/4 cup honey

-1 tsp cinnamon

-2T packed light brown sugar (why?  so i eliminated)

-1 tsp vanilla

-3 Cups old fashioned oats

-3/4 cup slivered almonds

-1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

-1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

(eliminated both seeds because i wanted to make it that day and didn't have either at the time)

-2T flax sees

-2T wheat germ

-1/4 tsp salt

-1 cup sweetened dried mango (diced)

and then Bobby suggests serving it over 2% Greek yogurt.  I just used my usual plain yogurt with cinnamon and it was delish.  Heck, I ate the stuff by the handful for snack!

-Preheat oven to 325.  line baking sheet with parchment or spray really good!

-mix oil (or applesauce), agave, honey, cinnamon, brouwn sugar and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth.  Combine oats, almonds, seeds, flax, wheat germ and salt in large bowl.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir making sure everything is evenly coated.  Spread mixture evenly on prepared baking sheet, stirring occassionally until golden brown and crisp (about 25-30 min) although mine took only about 22.  I hate burned granola, I've done it a lot!

-Remove granola from oven and let cool slightly, then break into clumps while still warm  Let cool completely and then toss with dried mango in a bowl.  Serve with yogurt.  Store leftover in an airtight container in cool place.

Most of all, enjoy it.  It's yummy, a little sweet and healthy.  and then let me know what you think :)

Pumpkin Power Bars

I've got a great snack recipe for you!  This could also be a great on the go breakfast too.  I had one today and wow, seriously held me over this morning.  I also gave one to my taste testing client (thanks Pat :) and she was a big fan or at least told me she was.  She's such a good taste tester, she always tells me things are good, so either my baking is improving or she's a good liar :)  j/k!! 

Look at these babies:

image courtesty of A Healthy Mom's Kitchen

I've been on a quest, thanks to a wonderful sister of mine, to find a good granola bar snack.  You know, one that is fairly low in sugar, but high in lots of good things without any extra preservatives.  Best idea, make it yourself.  You can find the recipe here at A Healthy Mom's Kitchen. 

I will tell you that I changed just a couple things, but nothing real major.  I didn't want a super sweet granola bar because if I have that super sweet then I want more and I really wanted this to be a "curb my appetite" with just enough sweetness to taste good kind of bar.  So, she says to use 1/3 cup brown sugar...which for this recipe is not a lot at all.  I think it can be eliminated.  I used probably half that and it didn't really need it in my opinion, but if you need a sweeter bar, use it.  It also calls for carob or dark chocolate chips and believe it or not I didn't have any (they all got used for Christmas I think) and again, the sweet thing...so I just decided to put in my Cherry Berry Mix instead (so dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries)  I think raisins would also be good in there.  I also left out the coconut.  Just not a big coconut fan is all and didn't have any for that reason!  That's all the changes I made.  They are a nice chewy granola bar but hold together really well.  Good consistency and GREAT nutrition.

Hope you will try them and thanks for the recipe Healthy Mom's....love your blog!  Will be trying other recipes soon!

Easy and Healthy Pasta Skillet

I can NOT seem to remember to take pictures of anything these days.  Apparently once the holidays are over, I forget where the camera is!  So, you'll just have to trust me that this tasted good and looked pretty too.  This is a dish I seriously threw together.  I knew I wanted to have something with chicken and I knew we had some veggies sitting around that needed to be used and I knew that we had a ton of whole wheat pasta.  That is how I come up with meals a lot but this one got good reviews by the whole family so it was worth sharing.  (by the way, I don't measure much in my cooking, so these are guesstimates)

Easy Chicken and Veggie Pasta Skillet (serves approx. 4)

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

-1/2-2/3 box whole wheat rotini

-2 cans diced italian tomatoes

-1/2 pkg. sliced mushrooms

-1/2 green pepper diced

-1/2 onion diced

-1 can quartered artichoke hearts (drained)

-2 large handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, chopped

-1-2 cloves garlic ( or 1-2 tsp pre-minced in a jar)

-1 tsp dried basil

-1 tbsp olive oil

-fresh grated parmesan cheese

-Bring large pot of water to boil.  Add pasta, cook to pkg. directions.

-Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat.  Add chicken and saute for a couple minutes each side until brown and nearly cooked through.  Add in onion and garlic, stir couple minutes.  Then, add in mushrooms, peppers and any other fresh veggie you have!  Let cook for a few minutes.

-Add in basil, artichokes and diced tomatoes.  Reduce heat to med. or med. low and allow to simmer for 10 min. or so. or until liquid is minimized.  Add in spinach with about 2 minutes left.

-You can now serve your chicken/veggie mixture over your pasta or dump your pasta into your skillet and mix it all together.  We do it both ways in this house.

-Serve it up with a little fresh parmesan on top and enjoy!!

Make sure to measure your pasta serving...wouldn't want to add extra pasta calories for no reason!

Yes, you can and should enjoy pasta, you just have to be mindful about what you put with it.  Whole wheat pastas are very healthy for you with lots of whole grains and sometimes other added vitamins, omegas etc.  They are dense in calories but one serving is pretty generous.  Just measure!  You can add all the veggies in the world you want.  This recipe doesn't even have actual sauce in it, just lots of veggie goodness (and chicken too)  I hope that you will try it and that you enjoy it.  Please let me know in the comments if you do try it.  I love to know what you think!

Here's to your health!



Breakfast

I have talked about this to some people before but I still get asked ALL the time what I eat for breakfast?  I wonder why that is so fascinating to people, but it is.  I think mostly because people get stuck in a rut and to bounce ideas off of other healthy people is probably natural.  Don't get me wrong, I wonder what Bob and Jillian eat for breakfast all the time!!

Afterall, breakfast IS the most important meal of the day, so I hope you all start your day out right with a nice hearty, filling breakfast consisting of good healthy carbs/fiber, a little protein and some fruit or veggies.  Trust me, if you are a snacker, it will help if you eat a good breakfast.  just trust me.

So, here it is in a nutshell....

I have basically 3 standby breakfasts that I eat.  Do I vary, yes, but these are all quick things I can make or take with me to work when I start at 6am (or earlier!)

-1/2 cup oatmeal with cinnamon, walnuts (or almonds) a few raisins (because I need the iron and nothing is better than raisins and walnuts...YUM!) and either a half of banana or apple (occassionally other fruit) either cut up in the oatmeal or on the side. 

-1 cup Kashi Go Lean, Go Lean Crunch or Go Lean Crisp.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I love Kashi and my life would not be complete without it.  As much protein as an egg...says it right there on the box.  Can't get that from too many cereals.  So, I have that Kashi with 1 cup plain yogurt spiked with some cinnamon and a drop of vanilla.  Also, a banana.  My life, you will learn, is NOT complete without bananas.  They love me, I love them.  Just a good relationship all around.

-Whole Wheat Bagel thin or mini bagel (both around 110 cals)  1- 1 1/2 TB of natural peanut butter smothered on top.  With the bagel thins I have to use more, more space to occupy, mini bagels, less space so I don't feel the need to have as much.  Guess what I have with it....yep, a banana!

If we don't have bananas I've been known to run to the grocery store right before it closes and right before I'm about to get in bed because I fear what my morning will be like without one.  I'm not joking.  Ask Soccer dad.  He wonders about my banana obsession all the time, mostly because he hates bananas.  He's weird.

So, that's about it people.  I have been cooking up some healthy granolas lately that I will share, but I've been using them more as snacks than atop my yogurt in the morning.  Sometimes I mix, Kashi with granola.  I just can't quit my Kashi.  I'm trying, it's only day 6 of the new year.  I have time.

So, I'd love to hear what you eat for breakfast, especially easy on the go ones.  I just don't have time to make some of the things I really would like to eat for breakfast like egg white omelets (not a big egg fan, but they are ok occassionally) or my dad's high protein pancakes...yum...too much time.  Even smoothies, to get the darn blender out....and clean it...forget it.  Catch me on a day off!  or summer maybe.

Anyway, share away, I'll be waiting.  Til then, get yourself some bananas and have a great day :)

The Importance of Scheduling

Well, with the new year and this new blog I thought it only appropriate to start it off with the basics to get your new year started right.  The first basic thing...flip your calendar or get a new one people, it's 2011 now!!  Look how clean and fresh it looks.  Now, there is definitely room on there for exercise isn't there?  and cooking healthy?  I thought so.  November and December get so darn hectic and it is so easy to get off track, so now that we have a little more time on your hands (and even a little more once those decorations are all put away) you can use it to exercise more, cook more, and sleep more.  Really, you should.  Really, I should!!

So, most of you probably know that the greatest percentage of people that stick to an exercise routine exercise in the morning, right?  RIGHT!  I hear it every day...I can't get up in the morning, I don't function in the morning....you can get up, and you do function, I promise!  I am NOT saying that exercising at night is bad, not saying it at all.  There are some very compliant afternoon and evening exercisers.  But, you know what, they probably schedule it!  As a mom of young kids, I have found it MUCH easier to exercise in the morning.  Now, grant it, I have exercised in the morning almost my whole (exercising) life, but I have had to do it in the evening occassionally and I hate it!  I would spend the day looking for excuses not to do it.  And now with the kiddos, they find the excuses for me.  You just never know when one will come home sick or when your meeting will run late or when that last minute homework assignment will take 3 hours!  Now, if you get up in the morning before your kids and fit it in, you are done for the day, you are awake as can be and you don't have to dread your workout, you didn't even have time to think about it and it's done!

Now, if you say, nope, not me, not going to work, it's fine but then put it on your daily planner.  Seriously.  However much time you are willing to spend working out, per week, (at LEAST 3 times please!!) should be scheduled so that you don't slack, forget or put it off!  Soccer dad (that's what I will be referring to my hubby as) and I have a very strict regimented exercise schedule.  Seriously, we do.  Ask me about it sometime, I'm very, well, we are very anal about it!  We both like to exercise in the morning and we both have needs to run and to be in the gym.  Now, I am fortunate that I get to go to the gym 3 days a week whether I want to or not...well, you know, to work I mean :)  I don't always have time to fit in exercise myself because I have only certain time allotted but those days I make sure to fit it in before I get there.  We have had to modify our workout schedule many times throughout our marriage but we have always made it work.  If someone tries to change our schedule, we both get a little crabby about it!  We are very scheduled people in this house!!  Our kids get crabby when we don't stick to our schedule.  It's good and bad.  For our workouts, it's VERY GOOD!  It works for us.

I totally understand that what works for me is not necessarily what's going to work for you.  I am just simply offering advice to hopefully make this the year that YOU get to they gym, your basement, your backyard, your neighborhood, your workout room or wherever it is that you need to go to exercise MORE than you did last year and with LESS excuses!  If you are already on a scheduled routine and are doing well, then Congrats to you and keep up the awesome hard work and if you have a schedule or ideas to share on what makes it easy for you to exercise please share in the comments section so we can all have other ideas as well.  I love to hear what works for other people! 

Now pick up that PEN and calendar, write it down and get moving :)

Welcome to my new outlet

Here it is everyone, my new blog.  I started one last year that didn't quite develop like I had hoped.  So, I start this one as a way to communicate with my clients but also use as a way for people to realize that I am a real person who lives a real life.  I hope to share tips, advice, stories and anything else that comes into my head.  I get asked at least once a week..."how do you do it?  How do you exercise every day, cook healthy meals, work and take care of a family?"  Well, hopefully those questions will be answered throughout this blog. 

I hope you enjoy reading it and please leave me comments and let me know if you have ideas or questions that you'd like answered!

Here's to a new adventure in 2011!